


Summer Discoveries

by scarletladyy



Category: Harry Potter - Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-09-25
Updated: 2009-09-25
Packaged: 2017-10-06 14:08:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scarletladyy/pseuds/scarletladyy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On one of Dumbledore's House Unity tasks, Ron gets to know Pansy a little better than he'd imagined.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Summer Discoveries

"And this month's House Unity Challenge is a scavenger hunt!" Dumbledore said cheerily, but Ron just sighed and leant his head on his elbow. It wasn't just that he didn't want to be paired with a Slytherin - if he was that unlucky, after all, there were two other houses to choose from - but it was also that Dumbledore had been going on about House Unity for ages, and the pros and cons for it.

Ron just couldn't see a point where Slytherin was concerned, he thought he knew they were all evil and didn't want to spend a second alone in their company for fear of hexes, curses or jinxes that might come his way should he say the wrong thing.

"Sounds boring to me," Harry whispered into Ron's ear, clearly seeing him nearly falling asleep.

"Sssh!" Hermione put her hands to her lips in frustration at the boys' talking during Dumbledore's speech.

"Now the Professor's will pass around parchment and it will contain the person you are being paired up with."

Ron crossed his fingers for a Hufflepuff or a Ravenclaw student as he saw Professor McGonagall heading his way.

When she got to him and put his piece of parchment down, she only had one thing to say. "Good luck, Mr Weasley," she said quietly.

Confused, Ron opened the folded piece of parchment and screamed, forgetting he was in the Great Hall surrounded by people.

"What?" asked Harry. "Your partner can't be that bad!"

"Oh yeah? Well who've you got?"

"Draco Malfoy. Whose yours?" Harry said curiously, trying to look at the parchment Ron was holding onto so tightly.

"Parkinson." Ron had said this through gritted teeth and both Harry and Hermione couldn't help but feel very sorry for him.

"Yeah, well, sorry mate!" Harry patted his best friend on the back.

"She can't be that bad," mused Hermione, looking over at the Slytherin table where Pansy Parkinson was sat sending death glares Ron's way.

"I guess Ron'll be able to tell us that one," laughed Harry, grinning at his friend who was shooting evils at him.

As Professor McGonagall came walking back down between the tables after having given everyone their partners, Ron caught her eye, hoping to ask her for a favour.

"Professor McGongall," he started, smiling at her. "I don't suppose there's any chance we can switch names with someone?"

McGongall had a hint of a smile curling at her lips. "No, Mr Weasley, i'm afraid not."

  
The scavenger hunt was in a week and Ron was not prepared for it; he got taunted by the Slytherins every time every time they went name him, as did Harry, as they both got the worst partners possible.

A quiet, shy Hufflepuff would have been better than any Slytherin, Ron thought, but to be paired with the Queen of Slytherin, well, he wasn't sure if he could hack it. He constantly thought about faking illness, or owling Fred &amp; George for some tips to get out of it, but McGonagall knew he was looking for any reason not to take part and she wasn't prepared to give him one lightly.

Whenever Ron and Pansy passed each other in the halls, there was a nasty exchange of words and if her friends were with her, hexes and jinxes too. Malfoy seemed furious that she had been paired with a Weasley, citing they were far below the ground Parkinson walked on.

By the time the day rolled around for the hunt, Ron was so exhausted from all the fighting he wasn't sure if he'd be able to take part without either killing himself or Parkinson, especially if she was in the same cocky mood that she'd be in all week.

"You ready?" Harry said hurridly as he pulled on his pants - they had overslept and weren't sure if they were going to make it in time. With their partners being Slytherins, they knew they'd get a lot of slack for it.

"Yeah," Ron nodded, grabbing his shoes and legging it out the door, Harry close behind him. No sooner had they got down to the grounds did they hear the high pitched, shrill voice of Pansy Parkinson.

"RONALD WEASLEY! WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?"

Harry snorted. "Sorry, mate," but it was only seconds later when he was regretting feeling lucky as Malfoy looked furious.

"We better win, Potter," he scowled, eyebrows narrowed.

"Come on," Parkinson grabbed Ron's arm as he was trying to put his shoes on, causing him to fall over and Parkinson to get even more exasperated. "Everyone's already left you oaf! COME ON!"

Ron sighed and got up, chasing after her. "So, what do we do?"

Parkinson turned and looked at him with a curious look. "What do you mean?"

"I haven't a clue what to do."

"Do you even know what a scavenger hunt is?"

Ron shrugged and Parkinson sighed.

"We have this list," she pointed to it as though he was stupid, "and we have to find everything on it before the other team does."

"Ohhhh," moaned Ron as it finally hit him how boring the afternoon would be.

"So come on!" Once again, Parkinson grabbed his arm fiercely and led him over to the trees. "It says we need a birch leaf."

Ron had his hands in his pockets, standing next to a big, oak tree looking dumbfounded. When Parkinson looked at him for help, he turned his eyes as if pointing at the oak tree. "That's oak you idiot," she groaned as she walked around the different trees, trying to find a birch one. "You're useless. I don't know how Potter or that Granger girl put up with you."

"Fuck off," said Ron, defensively.

"Mind your language, Weasley. You don't want to mess with Malfoy's girl, do you?"

Ron snorted. "Malfoy's girl? He's gay, Parkinson!"

As if someone had killed her dream, she turned on him like an angry werewolf, pushing him against the oak tree with a branch digging into his back. "You say that again and you won't have a hole to be gay with," finishing off, she spat in his face and grabbed the nearest leaf off the ground. "This'll do."

Onwards Parkinson walked sharply, Ron following slowly behind as he wiped the spit off his face with his sleeve. "God you're a handful," he muttered under his breath and she stopped momentarily to turn around and scowl at him. "What's next?" he asked, trying to distract her.

"An orange. Great. Back to the school for us," she groaned, dragging her feet back up the castle.

"No," said Ron, rummaging around in his pockets. "I've got one here," he said excitedly, pulling an orange out.

Parkinson's eyebrows raised. "You have an orange in your pocket?"

Ron grinned and nodded.

"Why would you...? Who on earth has...? What are you...? Ugh, never mind," she rolled her eyes and took another look at the list. "Three galleons."

Ron's face looked shocked. "Don't look at me. I haven't got that sort of -"

"Oh shut up, Weasley," sighed Parkinson as she pulled a handful of coins out of her pocket. "Good. Just got it."

"Rich bitch," Ron muttered under his breath.

"This'll be that old codger's idea of a joke," Parkinson stuck her tongue out as though she was thinking hard. "A smelly sock."

"I have lots."

Parkinson scrunched her nose in disgust. "You're foul."

"Oh what, like you wash everything before you wear it?"

"Yes, actually, I do," she said through gritted teeth. "The same as anyone else who likes to be clean and hygienic."

"Hygienic is overrated," Ron took his shoe off and dragged his sock off with it. "Will this do?" he said nonchalantly as the through the sweaty sock under Parkinson's nose.

"WEASLEY!" she yelled, shoving him backwards and getting the sock as far away from her as possible. "Honestly. I have no idea how they put up with you."

"Ditto."

"Malfoy puts up with me just fine, thanks," she said defensively.

Not wanting to get into another argument, Ron steered the conversation back to the hunt. "What's next?"

"A mug from The Three Broomsticks,"Parkinson sighed, realising they'd have to walk all the way to Hogsmeade.

"Oh well," Ron kicked his feet in boredom. "At least we can get a drink there."

As though he had said something utterly terrible, Parkinson turned on him. "Are you insane? I'm not drinking there - they'll let any sort of filth in."

Ron raised his eyebrows; he should be used to this sort of response from a Slytherin, no less Draco's best friend.

"What?" she said defensively, as though she hadn't done anything wrong. "Ugh, never mind. Come on, it's getting cold."

"Parkinson, it's the middle of June."

"Argh," Parkinson said angrily through gritted teeth, she looked about ready to do some serious damage to Ron's face.

The two spent the rest of the journey to Hogsmeade in complete silence, and Parkinson was no happier when they finally reached the warm pub.

"Get the mug and let's go," she whined, looking distastefully around the room that was filled with laughter from Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs. Ugh. She couldn't stand it.

"No," Ron firmly stood his ground, ordering a Butterbeer and catching up with Hermione and Harry in the corner. "You can either join us or get lost, i'm not bothered either way," he glared at her.

"Where's Draco?" she pouted at Harry who was narrowing his eyes at her.

"How should I know?" he shrugged.

Pansy huffed. "You were with him."

"He scarpered before setting foot in here."

"Good man," she muttered under her breath, turning around and leaving the pub hastily, bumping into someone in her hurry. Luckily for her, it was Draco and he looked just as pissed off as she did.

"He done yet?" he said impatiently, looking through the door.

Pansy shook her head.

"Well he better hurry up, I want to win this thing."

Pansy nodded in agreement. "I doubt he will be - Weasley's just joined him."

Sighing heavily, Draco pushed past Pansy and stormed through the pub door. "POTTER!" He screamed, leaving Pansy to jump back in surprise.

Moments later, Draco was dragging Potter out of the pub by the scruff of the neck, and Ron was, reluctantly, following them.

Ron saw Parkinson wink at Malfoy and let out a loud sigh before continuing down the road with her.

"Wait!" she said sharply, putting her hand out in front of her to stop him.

"What now?" he moaned, folding his arms and eyeing her curiously.

"Did you remember the mug?"

Rolling his eyes, Ron turned around and ran back to the pub to get the mug they had originally went in there for.

"Finally," Pansy grabbed the mug off him and stuffed it in her bag, pulling out a ragged, dull piece of paper that the scavenger hunt was on.

"How many more items? Or rather, how much longer do I have to put up with this?"

"You're so rude, Weasley."

Ron raised his eyebrows humoursly. "Me? _Me_? You're calling _me_ rude? You must be joking. You're Malfoy's girlfriend!"

Before Ron had completely finished that sentence, Parkinson stopped dead in her tracks and turned around to face him, both anger and tears in her eyes.

"No, I am not."

"Yes, you are -" Ron started to say, but one look at her face told him not to continue, though seconds later she was crying hysterically. Ron had never been any good with Hermione being upset, but an upset Slytherin was something he was not prepared for. "Hormones," he muttered under his breath.

"WHAT?" she screeched, turning from upset to angry in a matter of milliseconds.

"Er, nothing, so this list -"

"You want to know why i'm upset, Weasley?" she walked towards him, gaining ground and he stumbled backwards.

"No, not really..."

"He says i'm not 'his type'. Lord knows what 'his type' is!" she spat. "I'm pretty aren't I?" When Ron failed to answer, she prodded his side violently. "Aren't I?"

"Yeah, I, I guess..." he stuttered.

"I mean, i'm not ugly!"

"Yeah...."

"YES? Yes i'm ugly?" she cried hysterically.

"No!" he said hurriedly. "Look, you're fine, honestly..."

"Fine? That's all? Fine?"

Before Ron knew what he was doing, he kissed Parkinson, letting his tongue explore her mouth before reality hit them both and she pushed him away.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she screeched, wiping her mouth and spitting on the floor.

"Er, nothing?"

"What is wrong with you?!"

"Shall we just get on with the task?"

"You could at least explain what you were doing," she huffed, her eyebrows narrowed.

"It just felt...right."

"You soppy git,"she said nastily, ignoring his hurt look and reading the paper in her hand. "A galleon."

"Oh I haven't got one of those -"

"Obviously," she said, looking him up and down. "I've got plenty, let's just make our way back to the common room._My_ common room." She added at his confused expression.

The walk back to Hogwarts and the Slytherin dungeons was a long, painful one. Neither talked to the other after the awkward incident that had just occurred and Ron didn't have a clue what had come over him.

"It's dark down here," Ron muttered in an effort to make conversation as they entered Slytherin territory.

Parkinson didn't respond, but she did turn around and glare at him as she walked them down the corridors passing some younger years that weren't included in the hunt.

_'Lucky them,'_ she thought as they moved out of the way for her.

"Er," Ron moved closer to whisper in her ear. "Why are they moving out of the way for you?"

She gave him a look as though he was completely stupid. "Because _i'm_ Pansy Parkinson."

"It's because you're Malfoy's mate, isn't it?"

Giggling, purely out of annoyance, she nodded.

"Right." She said fiercely. "We're here, but _you_ have to wait outside."

"No way!" Ron protested. "I can't wait outside, i'll get hexed and cursed!"

"Ugh," she moaned. "Fine, Weasley, fine. But keep close and _don't touch anything_!."

Dancing about, Ron mocked her serious tone of voice and she pulled her wand out on him, threatening to hex him herself.

Holding his hands up in defeat, Ron conceded. "Fine, fine...won't touch anything. Got it." He followed her into the centre of the room where there were many younger Slytherin's lounging around on black leather sofas playing dark versions of the Gryffindor games.

"Well you can't come up here!" Parkinson remarked as he attempted to follow her to the girls' dormitories.

Ron had been too enthralled by the décor of the common room and the attitude of the Slytherin's in it that he hadn't watched where he was going. "Er, yeah..." He said, looking round at the uninviting faces of the Slytherin's around him.

"So..." a tall, dark haired boy stood closely by Ron as Parkinson disappeared up and out of sight. "You're that Weasley boy, aren't you?"

Defensively, Ron took out his wand. "I'm trained you know!"

The Slytherin's fell into fits of laughter.

"You won't even remember what your training was by the time i'm finished with you." The boy got out his wand too and raised his eyebrows threateningly.

"Alright, look...let's not start anything. I'm with Parkinson. You know, _Pansy Parkinson_."

"She is no better than any of us, no matter how she likes to think." A fair haired girl at the back spoke up.

"Yeah, we hate her." The group followed in the girl's steps.

"Then why -?" Ron started to ask them why all the courtesy for her, but was cut off by the boy standing next to her.

"Because Malfoy makes us. We all think she's a selfish, stuck up little cow."

Ron shrugged and looked around awkwardly, and quickly, Parkinson ran down the stairs and left the common room, Ron struggling to keep up behind her.

"What's wrong?" Ron ran after her down the corridors, he could see tears falling down her cheeks and the Slytherin girls that had earlier moved out of the way for her laughing at her. "Parkinson? You heard them, didn't you?"

She stopped short, they were alone now. "Yes," she sobbed. "I heard them."

"It doesn't matter."

She looked at him blankly.

"I mean it doesn't matter what they think. They're only Slytherin's."

"_I'm_a Slytherin."

"Oh, yeah...."

Parkinson walked over to the wall and slid down it, her arms around her knees defensively.

"Look -"

"Oh shove off, Weasley! You're no good to anyone!"

After a very long pause, Ron spoke up again. If anything to stop the sound of her sobs filling the hallway. "How many items left?"

Angrily, she got a hold of the piece of paper in her pocket. "Two. Then I can be rid of your miserable company."

Ron snorted. "_My_ miserably company? I'm not the one slowing us down by sobbing on the floor of an empty corridor!" Just as he said it, he realised how harsh it really was and was grateful when she stood up and walked on, as though nothing hand happened. "Sorry." He said quietly behind her.

"We need a smelly sock. Gryffindor Tower it is then."

Rolling his eyes, Ron took the lead towards his own common room. He expected Parkinson to follow meekly behind him after her earlier display of upset, but she walked proudly next to him, as though she hadn't a care in the world.

"Where'd you learn to do that?"

"What?"

"Hide your emotions so well. I don't think it's that healthy. Mum always says -"

"Draco taught me. I learn from the best, you know."

"Ahh," Ron said knowingly. "Here we are." Quietly, so she couldn't hear, he whispered the password and opened the portrait - Parkinson following behind him without an invitation.

The Gryffindors were just as uninviting towards her as the Slytherin's were towards him, though he knew they wouldn't start a fight unnecessarily. She would have to provoke them first. But, boy, she could do that.

"What's she doing here?" called out Colin Creevey, still carrying around his camera and taking pictures of the two.

"She's with me," was all Ron said as he made his way up to his dormitory, though this time, Parkinson could follow him.

"It's light up here," she noted as she spied the red and gold Gryffindor colours everywhere, and Ron's area donned in orange for the Cannons.

"Not really," he was fumbling around in his bottom draw. "I always think it's rather dark. Tsch, I can't find any...."

"Here, let me have a look," she pushed him backwards out of the way and found one after only a few seconds of looking. "Got it!" she yelped, unstabaling herself and falling backwards, twisting her ankle and landing on Ron - looking him straight in the face as she held onto him for dear life.

Several seconds, or possibly minutes, passed, the two just staring at each other not knowing what to do, when this time, Pansy went in for the kiss.

Acting so suddenly, Ron didn't have time to protest as she stuck her tongue down his throat, still leaning on his chest.

"What was that?" Ron spluttered as she finally stopped kissing him and got off the top of him.

Grinning, she responded with the same statement he had earlier. "It just felt...right."

"Oi," laughed Ron, playfully hitting her with his hand and getting up clumsily, steadying himself on her arm.

"Right, we just have one thing left. A Ravenclaw plate from the kitchen."

"What an odd request," noted Ron.

"You do realise it was Dumbledore who wrote this, right?" she giggled.

"'Spose. Right. Down to the kitchens it is."

Laughing and joking down the stairs, they passed the Gryffindor's who looked very confused at the behaviour between the two of them.

"You alright, Ron?" Colin asked, bedazzled.

"Er, yeah, Colin. Can't stop, got a scavenger hunt to win." They stepped out of the portrait and made their way down to the Great Hall, as the kitchens were just down a staircase to the right of it. "You're alright, you know."

"Yeah, I know," she responded, as confident in herself as she ever was. "But thanks," she knocked shoulders with him as he looked a little hurt at her reply.

Into the kitchens they went and Ron caught the eye of Dobby, who promptly ran over with Winky in toe.

"What can I do for you, Sir?" the little elf asked politely.

"A Ravenclaw plate, please, Dobby," Ron smiled at him, hands in his pockets.

"Certainly, Sir." Dobby ran off behind him to the counters where all the plates were kept, and ran back just as fast with it in his hands.

"Thanks, Dobby," he grabbed the plate and turned to Parkinson. "So where's the finishing line then?"

"Don't you ever listen? It's by that gamekeepers hut."

"Gamekeeper? Oh, you mean Hagrid?"

Pansy shrugged nonchalantly; she had no idea what he was called, she had only had him in classes a few years back, and had hated him then, well, mainly because Draco did and she reckons it was do with his father. Personally, she thought he was alright - he had let her see the Unicorns now and then when nobody else was about, and promised to keep it a secret.

As they reached the meeting point, there were lots of students there and as they noticed them coming down the hill, they all cheered and raised their hands in the air, as though cheering on their favourite Quidditch team.

Completely baffled, Ron and Pansy just shrugged it off and met Harry, Draco and Hermione who were smirking at them.

"What? Did we win?" asked Ron, looking around and saw Dumbledore walking over to them.

"Of course not! Can't you see everyone else is already here?!" laughed Harry.

"Well, what's so funny?" Pansy asked Draco, pouting, but he just shrugged his shoulders as though he hadn't a clue what was going on.

"Mr Weasley, Miss Parkinson," greeted Dumbledore, smiling at them.

"Hello, Professor," said Ron cheerily, eyeing up the cakes set out on a stall behind him. "Did we win?"

"I'm afraid not, Mr Weasley. You and Miss Parkinson came in last."

"Last? But..." Pansy started to protest until she saw Ron's knowing face.

"I don't know what you were doing, but I hoped the aim of this task worked," commented Dumbledore and walked swiftly away to have some Bertie Botts that were also on the food stall.

"Why were you so long?" asked Hermione, and Ron and Pansy both grinned at each other and replied in unison.

"It just felt...right."


End file.
